Brent

Brent's population expanded between the last two censuses. Data from the census show there were changes in housing tenure, religion and health.

The population passed 310,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Brent increased by 18%, from about 263,000 to 311,000.

The addition of just under 48,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Brent was home to, on average, 51 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Brent

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Brent decreased by one year, from 33 to 32 years.

This urban area had a lower average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of about 10,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years.

About 19% of people in Brent are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Brent by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in home ownership

This area saw England's second-largest fall in the proportion of households that owner their home.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (43%) households in Brent owner their home, compared with 55% in 2001. The percentage of privately rented homes increased from 18% to 30%.

The largest decrease occurred in Slough (from 66% to 53%).

The rate of home ownership in Brent decreased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of households in Brent, London and England that owner their home, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing relationships in Brent

This area saw England's third-largest fall in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (42%) people aged 16 and over in Brent said they were single, compared with 43% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married increased from 43% to 43%.

The largest decrease occurred in City of London (from 52% to 51%) followed by Kensington and Chelsea (from 49% to 48%).

Because of its small size, comparisons to City of London should be made with caution.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that that said they were single across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Brent

The number of people in Brent that described themselves as Christian remained close to 130,000 between the last two seasons. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 48% to 41%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across London (from 58% to 48%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in Brent that described themselves as Muslim increased from just over 32,000 in 2001 to about 58,000 in 2011 (from 12% to 19%). The number of people who described themselves as Hindu increased from just over 45,000 to just over 55,000 (from 17% to 18%).

Just over 33,000 people (10.0%) said they had no religion, up from about 26,000 in 2001 (11%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Christian in Brent decreased by 6.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Brent by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Brent residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 8.6% to 5.3% in the decade to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (83%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 70% in 2001. The percentage of Brent residents that described their health as fair decreased from 21% to 12%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.3% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Brent decreased by 3.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Brent, London and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

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